Bifrost
by jordan.goldstein
Summary: Ultimecia is dead, and our former SeeDs now form a new group which is focused on containing the emerging threat from one of Hyne's other gifts to the universe.
1. Prologue

All characters, places, names, and world within this story are copyright SquareEnix and owned by Square. This work of fiction is based upon the story of Final Fantasy VIII and is not created for profit.

Why _Bifrost?_ Well, in Norse Mythology, _Bifrost _was the name of the bridge the connected to realm of the gods to the realm of Earth. Since this story focuses on the realm of the GFs and the physical realm, I thought the metaphor quite appropriate.

Prologue:

_Four years ago, we entered the Ultimecia's Castle in the time compressed world and defeated her once and for all. In the moment proceeding her death, I found myself returned to the orphanage of my past, face to face against my former matron, Edea, this time, as a seventeen year old man._

_Not long after my arrival, Ultimecia herself arrived, decrepit and aching to let go of her sorceress powers so that she may die in peace. Edea, who had been a sorceress since childhood, took on her powers, and let her die. I spoke to her of Garden and SeeD, not realizing that they did not yet exist, and that I had just given her the idea of creating them._

_I was jettisoned than, through time and space to a vast emptiness. I walked distances in darkness and silence, distances no man should be condemned to travel in loneliness. Eerie silence… such that I heard no wind, no sea, no leaves, nor the sounds of my own footsteps or clinking metal of my belts. My throat was so dry, I could not speak, though I tried wholeheartedly, over and over to call out her name...nothing. I was reduced to a shadow of a man, impotent and placated by the undeniably powerful force of time-space. I left the world behind; eyes rolled slowly backwards into my head, when I could no longer hold them open. I fell backwards to the ground, but I didn't feel a firmness of earth. I felt empty, cold and alone…_

_Than in the deepest depths of my mind, I heard a whisper of a scream 'Squall'. It was so far away, the voice. Haunting, distant, taunting, and frightening, it faded in and out, before sounding off again. 'Squall, are you here?' Closer, the voice was nearing closer to me. It was more defined, less haunting and more beautiful, and I felt as though I had heard this voice somewhere before._

_I lay there on the ground, eyes still closed, and listened to the beautiful voice, the first sound I have heard in a very long time. I remembered...people from before this place, this moment. People who stood by me before, helped me when I needed to be helped most. Features of there beings flashed before me, spikey blond hair, cowboy hat, facial tattoo, long blonde hair, pretty caramel highlights in long dark hair. Was this the voice, one of these people called me now?_

_It was woman's voice? I think it was. It's been so long since I've heard a woman's voice, or a man's. My voice, what did my voice sound like?_

'_Squall, I need you to come. I'll be waiting here, for you…'_

_The voice, its beauty grew with each passing moment. It was the voice of an angel, let alone man or woman. An angel...more flashes in my mind...baby blue clothing, white angel wings...brown hair…caramel…_

_The voice was that of this woman. The brunette in the blue outfit. How pretty she looked now in my mind. She needs me to come to her. She's waiting._

_I came back from that place, that emptiness and found my angel before me, cradling me in her arms. Her name is Rinoa, and I am very proud to now call her my wife. We got married soon after the celebration at Garden. We've been very busy ever since._

_As for myself, I took over as commander of Balamb Garden, for a few years, but now Cid and I let Xu run most things there, and its only a title to me. For quite some months, my attention has been focused on guardian forces. We learned quite a bit about guardian forces after Ultimecia's defeat. _

_It was common knowledge that the sorceress' powers were directly descended from the Great Hyne. When Hyne sacrificed her body to create the universe, she split her soul into several pieces. One such piece went to the first sorceress, and with the spirit of Hyne in her, this woman was able to call up forces of magic from the spiritual realm to aid her. Before her death, the sorceress passed her powers onto others, one she had deemed worthy of Hyne's gift. _

_With the last sorceress of time, Ultimecia, defeated, people assumed that there would never be another again. This comforted most people, but there were others, stirred by Dr. Odine's research into the first sorceress that wondered if another threat may yet come. _

_Dr. Odine's laboratory in Esthar researched the history of the sorceress, and found that Hyne had only bequeathed a fraction of Her power the first. Dr. Odine posited that her other powers were used to create the guardian forces. This is why sorceress's need not junction a guardian force in order to use magic, they have Hyne's power directly imbued within their souls. Meanwhile, a human must junction a guardian force, a remnant of Hyne's power to himself, forming a temporary bond that allows the man to master magic, and the guardian to manifest itself on the physical realm. You see, what Dr. Odine realized is that Hyne's true power was simultaneous existence in both the physical and spiritual realms. When She sacrificed her physical form to make the physical universe, only the soul was left over. _

_The guardian forces were part of Her soul, and therefore could not cross into the physical realm alone, without a host. _

_The effect of the guardian force is now well-documented. Long term use will affect the memories of the user, epsecially those of early childhood. Having experienced it ourselves, we know it better than anyone. It was Dr. Odine that proposed research into preventing memory loss from guardian force junctioning. _

_In his studies, Dr. Odine found that guardian forces specifically access the hippocampus of the brain, the place of memory. He theorized that because guardian forces have never known 'realness' and 'being' until their first junctioning that calls them into our world, they crave physical existence wholeheartedly. A number of experiments with junctioned soldiers proved his theories correct. More troublesome, Dr. Odine found that a guardian force which is not junctioned for a very long time reverts back to its instincts, and lives to attain memeories and experiences of existence. For the first time, the real dangers of guardian forces were understood beyond their ability to diminish memory._

_With Dr. Odine's inventions, we can now use guardian forces that have been called upon regularly without regard for memory loss, however the continual struggle to track down and control these rogue guardian forces before discovered and haphazardly junctioned by a civilian is paramount. _

_That's where we come in, team Bifrost, we track down guardian forces that have never been to our realm, or those that have junctioned to unsuspecting victims and taken over their bodies. Rinny act's as our foreign diplomat, Quistis and Zell are our researchers, Irvine is in charge of weapons and supplies, and Selphie is our pilot on the Ragnarok. We put this little expedition together a few months ago and so far our progress has been inspirational. _

_Afraid I can't write much longer, we have to dock at Fisherman's Horizon soon and I need to get ready to descend with Rin. _

_Keep in touch, Cid._


	2. City of Fishermen

_Chapter One_

_The City of Fishermen_

_It seems so long ago now, that Seifer Almasy stood upon the pathway to the Dollet Communication Tower and swore to one day tell me about his romantic dream. That was indeed, a very long time ago. Boyhood dreams of greatness urged Seifer to leave our way of life and run off with Ultimecias puppets. _

_After everything that passed, now he's been sitting in Fisherman's Horizon the past few years, helping with the rebuilding and running a weapons store that sells hunting equipment to those looking towards the Esthar plains for game. Last month, he ran for Governor of Fisherman's Horizon, and his good will during the tumultuous times here must have won over the general public, because he won the election in a landslide against Martine. Twenty-two years old, and a governor. Seifer Almasy, and a governor. I still don't trust the man. _

"You really don't have to come with me babe, I'll be fine."

"Please Rin, I'm not about to let that asshole near you, alone."

"I can take care of myself." She peeled away the strap of her skirt to reveal a set of small knives hanging from her belt loop.

"Those new?"

"From the shop in Dollet, I bought them while you were soaking up rays on the beach." Squall thought back to the summer, and the vacation they took to Dollet. Those were good times.

"Seriously though, I can deal with Seifer Almasy just fine."

"Yeah…" Squall forced out as he rubbed his forehead, "but I'm still going with you."

"Still think Seifers being Seifer, huh?"

"That man, he'll never change. I don't know what he's playing at here, governor and all, and frankly I don't care, but if the Garden's want to built the facility here, and that's your job, than you have to do what you have to do."

She smiled at him.

"But I'm not letting my best friend in this world walk into the lair of that snake without my watchful eye."

Rinoas smile grew bigger and brighter. She always loved when Squall called her his best friend. They had been friends first before lovers, and she really was the first person Squall ever treated like an equal. Squall knew it too; Rinoa saved his life in more ways than one.

Squall would never forget those few minutes in space, when he thought he'd never see her again. He wasn't ready to let go than, nor was he now. After that moment, he knew he would do whatever he had to in order to protect the woman he loved. He's transcended time and space for her, and after that, nothing, nothing at all would ever keep him from her again.

"We have a long walk to the Governor's Estate, why don't you fill me in again on your proposal dear?"

"I told you about it last night, in bed. Weren't you listening?"

"No." She playfully punched him in the shoulder, "I was far too busy with other things at that time." He smirked, and she kissed his cheek.

Than she told him everything about her work for Trabia and Galbadia Gardens and the joint bid between all three Gardens to build a research center underwater beneath Fisherman's Horizon to study guardian forces of that manifest physically in aquatic terrains. The only problem with the plan, is that it requires the Governor to sign off on it, because it would be using Fisherman's Horizon sea-space.

So far, Seifer had proven to be quite reluctant to grant Rinoa his signature. Squall knew that he just wanted to force a meeting between the three of them, one last chance for him to gloat about his political position and question Rinoa about how she could ever fall for a guy like him. Thinking about it made Squall want to take Lionheart out right than and there and finish the job he started in Lunatic Pandora. It was a different world now, can't go killing a governor in public like that. Not even a son-of-a-bitch like Almasy.

Squall couldn't believe his eyes as he stepped off of Ragnarok and onto the docks of FH. The rest of the world was growing at an alarming rate, especially Galbadia City (formerly Deling City) and Dollet, but somehow FH always seemed to stay the same little lazy seaside town that it was when Squall first ventured there years earlier. At least the damage caused by Balamb Garden's crashing into Her had been fixed by the handy mechanics of the Horizon.

It was funny, he thought, he still felt bad about destroying all those homes back then. He may have felt that way at the time, but he wouldn't show it, let alone say it. That too, was a long time ago. Since then, Squall had done some maturing, some romancing, and done more than the world could ask of any teenager. Today he stands by his wife, a young twenty-one years old, having saved the world, and saved the woman whom he loved. Squall Leonhart was ready to settle down in the dark corners or the world, slip under some rock with his bride, and never look back. It would be a hell-of--lot easier to do too, if it weren't for his friends pulling him back into action every now and then, and Cid pushing the duties of Garden Commander on him.

Those thoughts were cut short as the couple arrived at the front gate of the Governor's Estate. Rinoa beamed at the flashy gold lettered FH insignia along the gate. She looked at Squall, saw that he was feigning interest and chose not to comment on it.

A servant came out of the large wooden front doors a moment later, and approached them at the gates. He was short and stubby, carried more weight than his frame could probably support, and had a receding hairline. His facial hair was trimmed into a neat little goatee that started short around the jawline and grew progressively longer and it approached the point of the chin. Squall thought it likened the man to a Trabia Mountain Goat. 'Follow me sir, madam,' he said to them, after unlocking the gate and beckoning them forth with his hands.

Seifer was waiting in his office, reclined in a large plush chair, whose backing was sewn with high quality velvet and insides were plushed chocobo feathers. He was looking at reports of FH commercce on his monitor when a knock came at the door.

"Yes."

"Beg my pardon sir, but your guests have arrived, sir? Shall I show them in now, sir?"

Seifer shut off the monitor and opened a drawer in his desk that contained a humidor.

"Yes, show them in Whitford."

"Sir."

Squall felt his heart murmur for a split second as he stood before the doors to Seifer's office. It had been over four years since Squall had last seen him. At that time, he cut him down to rescue Rinoa and kill Adel. He had a deep rooted hatred for the man, a strong complex amalgamation of intense anger and loathing for someone, feelings that were unusual to a recovering misanthrope.

Squall didn't know what to do with this feeling of hate. Every time he opened the Balamb Intelligencer and saw a picture of Seifer posing next to a ruined home in FH, holding a power-tool and pretending to help rebuild the city, he couldn't help but cringe in fear that a large portion of the world actually believed this guy had repented. 'Not me,' he always thought. 'I'm not getting suckerpunched by that asshole again.' If Seifer was biding his time in FH, slowly stewing a pot of thick and convoluted revenge, he would be ready for him. 'I will be ready for him!' The thoughts of anger and hatred raced back into him, emotions rushing into his head at a thousand miles a minute, and Squall, so new to intense feelings, couldn't help but swing open the doors to the office and charge up to Seifer's desk, Rinoa behind him, trying to catch him by the furs of his leather jacket collar.

_Damn it! Not now Squall! I knew you shouldn't have come with me today. You're about to jeopardize everything I've been working for the past few months. Why? Because of an old score? Get over yourself Squall, put the past behind you. I'm not expecting you to name him to the team, or invite him over to home, but for a thirty minute meeting, you can't be civil. I swear, sometimes I don't know what goes on in your head. So primal. You've shelled yourself away from feeling anything about anyone for so long, and then I come walking through your shield, and I start to break it down for you, and you ask me to help you finish the job. Your love for me grew each day, and gradually you learned to love those around us. And now this? This nonsense today. Where is it coming from?_

"Honestly Squall, I was just offering you a cigar?" Squall stared him down coldly. "What, SeeDs not aloud an occasional smoke?"

No answer.

"Yo sure you with the right man there, baby? He doesn't seem very talkitive. More of the physical type I guess-

"Fuck you Seifer." Squall yelled and than promptly took off out of the office and made his way back to the shores of FH.

Rinoa stood there, before Seifer's desk, stunned at what had just transpired. Irritated by his outburst, irritated by how easy it was for him to walk out of the office and leave her behind, without a word to her. Irritated by the gap between the man he was alone with her at night, and the man he was during the day.

"Want a cigar?" Seifer smirked at her.

She was suddenly nervous. Thoughts that her work to establish a research facility was doomed, that her husband has shamed her, worst of all, thoughts of an old Seifer, one that kidnapped her into the depth of Lunatic Pandora rekindled in her head.

"No." She managed. "Thanks."

This wasn't old Seifer though. This was Governor Almasy. He wore fair clothing from the traders of Winhill, and he had let his hair grow out to semi-curled lengths of golden lockets. He was clean shaven, save for a defined fishtail under his lower lip that aligned vertically with his defined Adam's apple. A black collar hung loosely around his muscular neck.

Rinoa averted her eyes when she realized what she was doing, and caught Seifer doing the same thing. This is what he saw:

Kindness in its purest form. Gentle, kind brown eyes, and a pretty face. Full-luscious lips and fair complexion. Long brown hair that flowed naturally and beautifully with every tilt of her head, highlighted with warm caramel streaks. She wore clothing that was dichotomously appealing to men and conservative. An angel, in every meaning of the word.

"Rinoa. Care to take a seat?"

She took one. Flustered by Squall's actions, she didn't know how to begin.

"You don't have to worry you know, I won't hold you accountable for his actions today."

_That's good Seifer, because he still holds you accountable for everything back then. At least one of you has changed._

"Seifer…"

"Hmm?"

"Why are you preventing us from building our research facility? Why do you care about Garden's presence here?"

"Three Gardens! Here, in my own city? That's more international cooperation than I can stand. And I suppose you want to look for FH engineers to help you build it?"

"The thought had crosses our minds."

"Sure it had."

She twiddled her thumbs.

"You know, the Gardens are not really going to be involved per se. It's really more like a base for Bifrost."

"You want to erect your little playground in my backyard, that's what you're saying Rinoa?"

"That's what I am asking," she looked right into his big blue eyes, "Seifer," he snapped attention, "will you help us, or send us elsewhere with tails between our legs?"

"That's a dog, right? 'Tails between our legs', dogs. Haha, that's very nice."

"Seifer?"

"Yeah. You can have your permit for the facility," he smirked, "but it'll cost you."

She smiled, "That's fine, we have a large fund allocated for just these purposes-"

"Oh, I don't want money Rinoa."

She bore an inquisitive look.

"I want you to come back later tonight for dinner, so that you may tell me the details of your plans for this 'research facility'."

She shuddered.

"You want to have dinner?"

"Ears still good I see. Yes."


End file.
